BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Zi-na Lobsang Tenpa Gyaltsen, a senior monk of Tibetan Buddhism, has passed away in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province. He was 81.
Zi-na Lobsang Tenpa Gyaltsen, enthroned in 1944 as the 27th Zi-na Living Buddha of the Ta'er Monastery, was a member of the Standing Committee of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a former vice chairman of the CPPCC Qinghai Provincial Committee, according to an official statement released Monday, which described him as a well-known patriotic religious figure and a close friend of the Communist Party of China.
Central leaders have extended their regards and condolences in various ways during his illness and after his death.
